Office Space

Elizabetharess

We are having a going away luncheon for an employee and we want to have the luncheon and watch a movie. The movie we want is "Office Space" which is R rated. I am planning on sending out an email to everyone in the office to let them know the rating of the movie and that they have an option to not attend. Does that sound good enough so as not to offend anyone?
I know of a company that watches "The Office" to show what not to do in the work place. Very funny, I think.

System

Sounds fun, and I think the rating announcement should be fine.

I've been toying with the idea of incorporating clips from The Office in my seminars on workplace harassment, etc. That show cracks me up.

Elizabetharess

Thanks and I agree that show is hilarious.

ray a

So, anyone opposed to watching an R rated movie for ethical reasons misses out on this company sponsored event. They are then deemed party poopers, uptight, self-righteous, puritanical, etc., and as a result feel the effects of subtle discrimination, though perfectly legal. Nonetheless, they become "outsiders".

Elizabetharess

Sounds like the HR department to me.

NaeNae55

When we picked a movie for Employee Appreciation Day a few years ago we were careful not to get an R rated movie for just this reason. We wanted everyone to come, and we wanted everyone to feel we wanted them to come and be comfortable. Is there no other movie that will do the trick?

Nae

LarryC

Actually your right, Nae. I would go with "Animal House" instead, but that's just me.

ray a

Come on Lar, tell the truth. You'd go with something much more risque than that.

LarryC

Actually,Ray, my second choice would be "Godzilla vs. Mothra" with its redeeming social value. Everybody's seen "Debbie Does Dallas", so why show it again?

ray a

Besides, Debbie in Dallas is getting old. Do you think she'll read this? Have we hijacked this thread?

LarryC

Ray, don't spoil the fun. Go ahead and show it, Elizabeth. By the way, you need to buy a vowel.

Elizabetharess

I personally find "It's a Wonderful Life" offensive.

ray a

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 05-17-07 AT 11:41AM (CST)[/font][br][br]Why??? Innocuous maybe, but offensive? Not that I'd consider showing it at work.

marc

Are the EEs expected to stay awake during the movie?

Elizabetharess

Potaytoe, Potawtoe
tomaytoe, tomawtoe

NaeNae55

I have another suggestion. If you can come up with another movie, put it to a vote. Watch movie A or movie B. Then the employees decide and since everyone participated in the vote, no one feels left out. Employees seem to respect decisions more when it comes from their fellow employees, and the company is not blamed for showing it.

Whatever you decide to do, I hope you all have a good time.

Nae

Elizabetharess

Thank you and that was actually the motivation to select this movie. The majority of staff wanted to have the movie for a fun day, so we just combined it with the going away party. Forgot to mention that...

ray a

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 05-17-07 AT 01:14PM (CST)[/font][br][br]Oh yeah, you forget one little very important detail. Actually, I suspected you would already have a good handle on what most people would find acceptable and go with that. That is the key.

This has been a slow boring day for me, so I've been having more fun on the forum.

Elizabetharess

Yeah that's right one very little detail like what the people want.

ray a

Seriously now... I'm not familiar with the movie, so don't know what gives it an R rating. Though it is important to consider the desires of the majority, what if there is someone who would find this movie offensive? They must make a choice, not attend, attend only the dinner and skip the movie, or attend and compromise their principles or pretend to go along with the crowd. If they choose to not attend they risk offending the ee who is leaving and being honored. They also do run the risk of being ostracized, as I pointed out above. I would ask, is there behavior in the movie that you forbid to be exhibited by ee's in the workplace? Again, I'm not familiar with the movie, so I don't know the answer to that.

I'm not criticizing you Elizabeth, merely giving an alternative point of view. Ultimately, you would know best what is appropriate for your ee's.

HRQ

I've seen the movie several times, but it's been a few years. Why the R rating? I think I recall some language issues, but no nudity, sex, violence. Except for burning down the building but it wasn't particularly violent. Well, and bashing the crap out of the fax machine. That was sorta violent, but absolutely acceptable in my mind.

Love that movie. Now I need to go watch it again.

ACU Frank

I'm aware of two similar instances in which employees were allowed to watch an R-rated movie with content extremely relevant to their jobs and workplace.

A very definitive disclaimer was e-mailed out, and almost everyone showed up and had a great time.

In both cases, the managers were disciplined for sexual harassment. The e-mails were even used as documentation, since they showed that the managers knew the material was likely to offend someone.

One of the instances was at my wife's office. She narrowly avoided discipline, and all she did was bring the DVD from our home. (The movie itself was selected by the office's wellness committee.)

In other words, sounds like fun, but it has a propensity to end badly.